This invention relates to techniques for latching a panel to an enclosure for electronic equipment such as a computer.
Many enclosures for electronic equipment are designed to include a removable panel. Removable panels might include, for example, covers, lids, tops, bottoms, sides, fronts, backs and the like. In removable panel designs, it is desirable to provide a convenient mechanism for latching the panel to the enclosure and for unlatching the panel for removal. Generally the most convenient means for doing so are those that do not require tools.
One challenge in achieving an effective tool-less latch design for electronic equipment is that, when latching a panel to an enclosure, significant force is sometimes required to compress xe2x80x9cEMIxe2x80x9d gaskets between the panel and the enclosure. (The acronym EMI as used herein shall mean electromagnetic interference. Compressible EMI gaskets are commonly interposed between a panel and an enclosure to reduce the amount of electromagnetic energy that escapes from the enclosure.)
Another challenge in latch design for electronic equipment is to maintain compactness of the panel/enclosure assembly both in the vertical and the horizontal dimensions.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,532 (xe2x80x9cChenxe2x80x9d) discloses a handle mounted to a chassis wall of an enclosure. The handle disclosed in Chen is disposed on the outside of the enclosure and pivots away from the back of the enclosure. It therefore interferes with product compactness in the horizontal dimension. And while the handle disclosed in Chen is able to provide an ejection force when removing the enclosure lid, the handle is not operable to provide a compression or insertion force when attaching the lid. By way of further example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,373,692 (xe2x80x9cChengxe2x80x9d) discloses a handle that is recessed into the lid of an enclosure. The handle in Cheng pivots upward, which interferes with product compactness in the vertical dimension. In addition, the handle in Cheng provides neither an insertion force nor an ejection force.
A tool-less latching mechanism according to the invention facilitates product compactness in the vertical and horizontal dimensions. It also provides both an insertion force for installing a panel and an ejection force for removing a panel.
A lever having a pawl is mounted to an enclosure panel at a pivot point. An arcuate slot is provided on a surface of the enclosure. To install the panel on the enclosure, the lever is placed in an open position and the pawl is engaged with an inside surface of the slot. When the lever is pivoted from the open position to a closed position, the pawl exerts a force on the inside surface of the slot causing the panel to slide forcefully onto the enclosure. To remove the panel from the enclosure, the lever is pivoted from the closed position toward the open position. This movement causes the pawl to exert a force on an outside surface of the slot, which forces the panel to slide away from the enclosure. The movement of the lever is contained entirely within the plane of the panel or within a plane that is parallel with the plane of the panel. And the excursion path of the lever need not extend substantially beyond the area of the panel. In alternative embodiments, the lever may be mounted to an enclosure component, and the slot fixed to the panel. The location of the latch may also be varied. For example, the latch may be located near an end of the enclosure or at an intermediate location. Other variations may also be made, as will become apparent in the following detailed description.